Chris Paul's three-year tenure with the Phoenix Suns could potentially come to a close this offseason with the team reportedly exploring options to part ways with the point guard. If the Suns do indeed leave Paul looking for a new team, perhaps Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets make sense as a potential spot for him.
The Athletic reported that Phoenix could trade Paul, waive and stretch Paul's contract over multiple years, or waive and potentially re-resign him in free agency. The Suns have until June 28 to guarantee the 38-year-old's $30.8 million contract next season — around $15 million of which is guaranteed.
With the reports, the Los Angeles Lakers instantly emerged as betting favorites to land LeBron James' good buddy. Other championship contenders such as Paul's former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Milwaukee Bucks emerged as potential destinations. But as mentioned, maybe Denver is a sneaky good option for CP3, who is looking for his first NBA championship. At this stage of his career, all Paul really wants is the best chance to win his first ring. Why not go to the team that is just two wins away from reaching the mountaintop?
Why Chris Paul is perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic
This is not suggesting that Paul is going to replace Jamal Murray as the No. 2 guy in Denver. If anything, he would likely come off the bench for this Nuggets squad. That unfortunately would halt his streak of 1,363 straight starts, including the playoffs.
But at this point of his career, Paul might not even care about that anymore. It also may be best for the 38-year-old to play in a lesser role that could maximize his effectiveness and productivity. This past season, Paul averaged a career-low 13.9 points per game and shot 44.0 percent from the field, his worst shooting percentage since his third NBA season.
Meanwhile, the Jokic-Murray tandem is at the peak of its powers right now. The two are a match made in heaven with how in sync they are in the pick-and-roll — a craft they have mastered playing six years together. In fact, the two thrive both ways. Murray obviously mostly serves as the ball handler, with Jokic as the roll man. But the two-time MVP sometimes handles the rock with Murray being the screener.
The Jokic-Murray two-man game is obviously deadly, but a potential Jokic-Paul setup would be as well. Paul is one of the best ever at executing the pick-and-roll. He'd find Jokic in the pocket to set up the Serbian's patented soft floaters in the lane. When the defense drops and focuses on Joker, Paul would then just pull up for his career 49.3 percent shooting from within 10-to-16 feet.
Like Murray, Paul could also thrive as the screen man. Despite his height, CP3 also has the burly frame to set screens that allow Jokic to work his magic as the facilitating big man. Of players who played at least 50 games and averaged more than 20 minutes per game, Paul is at the very top in terms of catch-and-shoot shooting percentage at 53.8 percent, per Second Spectrum. With that, CP3 would thrive playing the inverted two-man game with Jokic and even spotting up on the perimeter for open threes.
On paper, it may seem far-fetched that Paul considers going to Denver given he would need to take a backseat to Murray as the starting point guard. Nonetheless, if the Nuggets give him the best chance to win a championship, there's no question he should take his talents to Denver.
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